HIERARCHAL CON-CELEBRATION AT THE ROTUNDA OF THE EAST

On Friday 24th April 2015, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa officiated at Orthros and conducted the brilliant Hierarchal Con-celebration at the Holy Church of St George of the God-trodden Patriarchal Monoastery of the same name, together with His Beatitude ieronymos Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Eminence Chrysostomos Metropolitan of Kition, representing the Church of Cyprus, and their Eminences the Metropolitans Ambrose of Kalavryta, Chrysostomos of Peristeri, Damaskinos of Didymoteiho, Paul of Glyfada, Anthimos of Alexandropolis, who comprised the entourage of His Beatitude Ieronymos Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, as well as the majority of the Hierarchs of the Throne, and joined in prayer by His Eminence Damianos Archbishop of Sinai and the representative of the Coptic Church Bishop Bishoi of Damieta.

Also present during the Divine Liturgy were the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, accompanied by the Governor of Cairo Mr. Galal El-Sagid, the Minister of Antiquities of Egypt Mr. Mohamed El-Damady, representatives of the President of Egypt, and the Minister of National Defense of Cyprus Mr. Apostolos Fokaidis, representing the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Anastasiades.

The eulogy of the day was delivered by His Eminence Athanasios Metropolitan of Cyrene.

 Prior to the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa addressed His Excellency the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, “whose presence gives everyone courage, as he the person who fights and will fight for Greece”, and with tears in his eyes he spoke of the many years of his personal vision for the renovation of the Holy Church of St George. After this the Patriarch, by the hand of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Pavlopoulos, gave the Benefactor’s Letter to the Mr and Mrs Martinos, proclaiming them Great Benefactors of the Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria and, going to the Narthex of the Church they conducted the unveiling of a votive plaque and the mosaic image which were created in commemoration of the great event.

After the end of the Festal Divine Liturgy His Excellency the President of the Republic Mr. Pavlopoulos, in the presence of His Beatitude Theodoros II, Patriarch of Alexandria, the Egyptian officials and the rest of the distinguished guests, inaugurated the newly-established Museum, in the underground areas of the ancient Roman Tower which comprises the base of the Holy Church.

Visibly moved, Mr. Pavlopoulos spoke of the History of Orthodoxy in Egypt and “the co-existence of peoples on this land” and thanked God who deemed him worthy of being at the “Rotunda” of the East. He congratulated the Martinos family for their donation and prayed that there would be imitators that would support the people and the Nation in these difficult hours. “The State will stand beside you and support you”, said Mr. Pavlopoulos to the Patriarch and added: “I recognize the goodwill of the Egyptian State towards Orthodoxy and Hellenism and I thank them, saying that our anxieties are mutual. We have a mutual struggle for the ideals concerning mankind, humanism and social justice. In Cairo your work is well known and the Church of Greece with the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece is here to acknowledge your efforts and to tell you what I stressed on behalf of the State. We are together in one struggle, Church and State, to support the traditions of the Nations and of our People”.

Following the end of all the  worship and festal events, His Beatitude Theodoros II, the Pope and Patriarch hosted an official lunch for the distinguished guests and the more than 1500 ordinary faithful in the great hall of the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo.